Scientists Protest Against Gene Manipulation

• Professor Jennifer Doudna of the University of California has been involved in the study of genetic modification for many years.
• She wrote an open letter calling on world governments to ban any further genetic engineering experiments.
• According to the professor, changes in the human genome may pose a serious threat to mankind. Of course, parents will always want their children to have a high IQ and superb physique.
• However, any genetic intervention can make an unpredictable impact on future generations.

Designer Babies

• The UK Research Ethics Committee has recently authorized genetic engineering of the human embryo.
• The decision was made after a group of influential British scientists concluded that it is ‘morally acceptable’ to genetically modify the DNA of yet unborn children.
• Thus, the first step toward future perfection of human offspring was made. According to a report published by the Nuffield Council of Bioethics, DNA modification could be a viable option for parents who want to alter the genetic makeup of their kids.
• Although this piece of legislation primarily concerns the treatment of genetic diseases or predisposition to cancer and dementia, experts say they do not exclude some kind of genetic intervention for ‘cosmetic’ purposes e.g. changing the child’s eye or hair color at their parents’ request).

Scientific research alone is not enough to understand the full impact of the human genome modification. One should also take into consideration the modern perception of good and evil, especially when dealing with something as delicate as gene manipulation.

There are three main objections to using genetic modification, namely: religious, philosophical, and pragmatic ones. Therefore, altering the human genome requires further comprehensive study and deliberation.